We have reached commanding heights

Niranjan Sahoo niranjansahoo@yahoo.com Date: Sat, 1 Apr 2006

Let's accept the fact that despite lack of material progress, as a distinct ethnic group, we have reached commanding heights in art, literature, culture, academic and host of key areas that many of the ethnic groups struggle to achieve. But these achievements can be enriched only when Orissa has enough fire power(money). Why does Punjabi bhangra enjoys national flavour, not a sambalpuri folk, which to me is more melodious and rich in every dimension? Its like that old proverb..."power respects power". Since Orissa is located at a far corner and has little monetary as well as political clout, we hardly figure in national psyche

What is true to India is true with Orissa. Ten years back, India was struggling as a economy and its political clout was extremely limited. Remember India denied even a mere observer status in APEC and ASEAN. More sad was ASEAN denial of observer staus to India even though we are a country of continent size and an immediate neighbour of this trading group. But thanks to continued high economic growth, India today commands respects, and every trade body; be it APEC, ASEAN, are wooing India. Even Uncle Sam(US) signs pathbrealking nuclear deal overiding 40 years Non-proliferation regime.

This is what we must eye for Orissa. Orissa cannot afford to miss its historic opportunity that has come largely because of a global manufacturing boom and rising demand for minerals and metals. To me, the present government despite number of messy dealings, is doing the right thing in projecting a pro-industry and pro-investment face. We must not forget the fact that the government and its officials are too learning in dealing with high scale projects, messy displacement issues that are always impregnated with largesacle protests and environmental concerns. Unfortunately, Orissa never had high phase of industrialisation that would have provided leaders and officials to prepapre better to handle these complex issues more deftly.

We must them give benefits of doubts. One one incident or mishappening, let us not make a wild conclusion that industrilisation or present growth strategy is all that bad. However, we must watch and see if the government of the day is learning fast from such incidents.While we must continue to fight for the poor and deprived that would face the intial burnt from the high industrialisation drive, we must fight for and fight against those who bring a bad name for the state in the name of their wooden ideologies. We must not allow these psedo-ideologues to deprive the state its deserved place in the name of overt environmentalism or hyper human rights rhetorics. orissapolitics.cjb.net